, 1887-09-10
The Seal Islands.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-The annual
report of George R. Tingle, treasury agent
In charge of the Alaska seal islands, has
been received. The agent says the time
has come when the ~lessees of the islands
should be authorized to employ additional
natives and teach them the business of
sealing, as death has played sad havoc
with the native ~sealers of the island. The
system of payment to the natives is criti-
clsed for its bad effect upon them, and it
is held that it would be Justice to allow
the natives of Ounalaska TO be paid on the
same footing with the natives of st. Paul
island. The mortality among the natives
OF st. Paul is said to have been very
large, while it is a remarkable fact that
not a single death from disease has &C.
CURED among the white inhabitants since
the transfer of Alaska to the United
States.
From measurements made 10y Assistant
Agent Noyes, it appears that the
grand total of breeding seals on the St.
Paul and st. George Islands last spring
was 1857, $50, but in Transmitting this
statement Mr.. Jingle says that a deduc-
ton Of one fourth would bring the mum.
Der nearer the truth. Whilst on two
rookeries there is some falling of, it is Ger
tain that this vast number of animals is
on the increase. Mr.. Jingle says: The
department cannot place too high esti-
mates on the value Of this seal property,
and the government, | am sure, will not
yield to any demands which would make
it possible to accomplish the destruction
of the seal rookeries and seal, which I'M
der ludiclous management and protection
by law may be persisted in indefinitely"
A large part OF the report is devoted
to the history of the seizure of maraud-
ing vessels by revenue cutters. The agent
says that after the departure Of the rev.
enue cutter last fall, large numbers of
seals were taken by British marauders
and the skins sold in Victoria. One yes.
sci sent her boats to the rookeries, but
they we're fired upon by the natives and
two men wounded. This fact became
known generally among the marauders and
served to keep them a safe distance from
the rookeries.
Up to the LIST of August four schooners
had been seen operating around st. Paul
island this season. One o; these vessels,
the Angel Dolly, of San Francisco, was
seized by the agent, who boarded her
with the help of the Alaska Commercial
company's steamer, St. Paul. The vessel
was in distress, as the captain had been
accidentally shot and one man wounded
while leaving Otter island, where they
had been killing seals. This makes the
seventh capture this season, the revenue
cutter Rush having previously taken six,
which were sent to Sitka for trial. They
were the American schooner Challenge,
with $50 skins; the British schooner
Anna Beck, 1886 skins; w. H. Sawyer,
479 skins; the Dolphin 600 skins; the
Grace seventy SIX, and the American
schooner Lottie l.. 1877 skins.
The agent suggests the a~dvisability of
providing a small steamship armed with
rifed cannon. as schooners were killing
seal in plain view of st. Paul island while
the Rush was protecting st. George
island. 1t is said that &c, skins would
be a low estimate of those taken this sea
son by %marauders, and he adds: The
significance of these figures will be under
stood when the fact is borne IN mind that
only one seal killed in ten is secured"
In a supplemental report dated San
Francisco, Aug. 10, the agent says:
ION the 18th of August the American
steamer Anna, with $50 skins, was
brought into port, having been seized by
the Rush. She reported the seizure Of
the British schooners Mary Ellen, 1876
skins, and the Alfred Adams, 400 SKINS.
The cutter also captured 400 skins landed
on an island by the British schooner
Lottie Fairfield, in the Behring straits,
making a total of $500 skins seized dur
ing the season.
The number of seals killed during the
year by the lessee was l04, 500, and the
number of skins accepted as good was
100000.